Holy Kiss

Study through the letters of Apostle Peter: Who we ought to be & what we ought to do.

Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. 1Peter 5:14

Many centuries later, after the apostles and church of God thought and practiced the kiss of charity as a special salutation toward one another, the meaning and practice of the holy kiss has been dramatically altered. In modern translations of the bible, and especially among English-speaking cultures, we find the kiss of charity replaced with a “warm handshake” and “embrace”. We live in a day and age where more and more people reject absolutes and consider the truth as relative matter. They make their own truth what they want to believe and rely upon. Having no respect for the word of God as absolute truth, they reject the authority of God, making every man their own version of the bible and following the footsteps of Judah- betraying the Lord. An outward profession of faith while denying the authority of the scriptures or rejecting parts of the word of God that the individual is not comfortable with – is nothing more than that kiss of Judah.

The holy kiss was used as a sign of love and unity among those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. It brought the sense of family and oneness to the fellowship of believers. Christians considered one another as family and the kiss of charity was that special salutation of equality and union among them. Light gentle touch of the lips was the mark of affection, holy living and openness for fellowship. Greeting with a kiss of charity played significant part in church discipline; those who compromised the holy living were not greeted with a holy kiss until the church saw the evidence of clear repentance. The holy kiss, as I see it from the bible, was meant to be a lot more than just a “warm handshake” that you can give to anybody; it was a distinct sign and salutation with a lot of meaning and message.

Sadly, this meaning and message of the holy kiss is virtually gone from modern churches and with it, family-like relationships. Christian gatherings became more like business organizations where there is no more transparency, openness, holy living and of course no more holy kiss. We desperately need a revival in our land and in our fellowships that will bring true repentance, true accountability one to another. We need fire from God to burn all fleshly ambitions, personal agendas and purge sin from the hearts of professed believers so we can greet one another with a holy kiss and experience the full meaning of such practice.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2013 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Christian Living, Devotionals, Studies.
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